Guwahati: The powerful North East Students’ Organisation (Neso), a conglomeration of leading student organisations of north-eastern states, on Friday threatened to launch agitation to prevent the passage to the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) which it described as “communal.”
Neso adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharya, who has been in the forefront of anti-foreigners movement told reporters, “The proposed CAB is to give protection to illegal migrants at the cost of identities and safeguards of the indigenous people of the northeast. We cannot allow a communal, unconstitutional and anti-indigenous Bill to become a legislation.”
Assam health minister and convener of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (Neda), Himanta Biswa Sarma, had announced last month that the Centre will introduce the CAB in Parliament in November and will ensure that it is passed.
Sarma also claimed that through the CAB, the Narendra Modi government will ensure that persecuted religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have taken shelter in India till December 31, 2014, are granted citizenship.
Jyrwa, taking cognisance to the minister’s remark said, “We will go for an agitation to prevent the passage of the CAB in the winter session of Parliament. On November 18, there will protests against the CAB in the state capitals of the region. The Centre should not impose the Bill because it is against
the interest of indigenous people of the North-East.”
The Neso leaders said, “We have been telling the Centre not to impose Citizenship Amendment Bill. The proposed legislation is being pursued by the government for political benefits as it will create a vote bank. But we will not spare anybody who supports the Bill.”
The decision to intensify agitation to block CAB was taken in the executive body meeting of Neso which was held here on Thursday.
The executive body meeting also decided to have a National Register of Citizens (NRC) for all the seven states in the region.
“Assam has got the NRC done. Now, all the N-E states need NRC. There is a need to have a database of people who have entered the states illegally. The modalities for each state may be different, but the NRC is a must. The cut off date for the National Register of Citizens may also be different based on the specific history of each state,” Jyrwa added.
